47. Chapter Forty-Seven
Fuck her and her smart mouth and those witty remarks. Since the moment she walked onto this plane, my dick’s been throbbing. I thought drowning myself in alcohol would numb these fucking feelings, but it hasn’t worked. I’ve already jacked off twice to get my dick to calm down, but now, as I watch her walk away, I’m getting aroused again. While many women desire me, it”s amazing how just a few sassy words from her smart mouth can make my desire for her skyrocket. After all these years, how the fuck does she still hold so much power over me?
Ace walks through the door, smiles at Poppy, then comes over and flops down in the chair.
“Is the hostess still in there with those two idiots?” He asks.
”Yep,” I down more of my drink, not taking my eyes off the door even after Poppy”s gone.
“Every fucking time those assholes do that. Well, that’s another hostess gone. What”s that, eight now in the past year because they can”t resist being in a Nate and Theo sandwich?” He chuckles to himself as if sharing an inside joke.
I wish he’d fuck off and leave me alone. Go talk to his buddy, Reg, if he wants to chat.
“So, did you come up with anything?” Ace asks, nodding towards the guitar sitting beside me on the seat.
I eye him for a moment, wondering if I should say anything because he could go back and tell the label.
“I might have,” I shrug. “And no, I won’t be handing it over to the fucking label.”
“I’ll be back in a minute,” he says getting up off the couch. He moves back out through the door.
Within seconds, he reappears with a guitar in his hand. I watch him intently as he settles down on the couch directly across from me. We haven”t jammed together like this, just him and me with our guitars in ages, not since high school.
He plucks at his guitar, then stops and looks up at me.
“What have you got?” He asks.
I eye him for a second longer, lifting the bottle to my mouth and drinking it, contemplating whether or not to show him. Leaning forward, I put the bottle down, then grab my guitar to show him what I’ve been working on.
When I play, he”s super focused on the music, adding his own special touch to take it to the next level. It feels great to be back together, just like the old days when we were inseparable, making music and dreaming of making it big.
The hours quickly slip away as Ace and I spend our time playing, singing, and getting lost in our music.
After five hours, I feel on top of the world. It feels like a piece of me is finally back, after being gone for so long. Theo and Nate join us. Theo is on bass, while Nate beats his drumsticks on the coffee table, making his own sick beat.
Jamming out with my bros to the music is exactly what I need. In those moments, the pressures of the media, the label’s expectations, and the never-ending demands all vanish from my mind.
I look up and see Poppy sitting in the back of the room, watching us do our thing.
Ace sets his guitar aside and gets up from his seat. “We need to celebrate with a drink,” he declares. “And no,” he looks my way. “Before you ask, I’m not telling the label we have a song.” He gives me a nod, showing he”s being honest. “Great job, brother. I really miss the old days.” Then Ace turns around, scanning the room. “Where the fuck is that damn hostess.”
Theo and Nate share a look. “Well, she’s a little bit tied up, you could say?” Theo laughs as he looks around the group.
”I told him not to, but you know how he is. He never listens,” Nate says, giving Theo a disapproving look.
“No. He never fucking does,” I add.
“Don”t stress. I know exactly where the booze is,” Theo says, jumping up and heading for the door at the back of the room.
Within seconds, he comes back, holding several bottles in his arms. He passes them out, giving one to me first, then to Ace, and finally to Nate. Theo then playfully focuses on Poppy, flashing a mischievous grin.
“Come on over, pretty girl,” he calls out, gesturing for her to join us. “Come on over and celebrate. We still have another eight hours on this darn plane.”
Poppy gets up and joins us.
Theo unscrews the lid and passes the bottle to Poppy when she approaches. Ace scoots over to make room for her on the couch. She takes a drink from the bottle as she sits and I half-expect her to wince at the burn in her throat like she did that night at the rock when I had to carry her home, but she doesn’t. I guess her life”s changed too, just like mine.
I”m just sitting there, getting more and more wasted, as Poppy and my brothers keep talking. Her face is so beautiful, I can”t help but study it, along with her captivating eyes and flowing long hair. She’s even more stunning now than when I left. Guilt, my old companion, settles beneath my skin, taunting me, reminding me she’s someone I can never have again.
When she laughs at what Theo says, I can”t help but feel a surge of warmth. Her laughter is like music to my ears. Something I could listen to for the rest of my days. I want to record it and use it as my ringtone, but the thought only serves as a painful reminder of what I’ve done and all that I’ve lost.
I turn my head and catch Ace checking me out. Don’t tell me the bastard knows the thoughts running through my head. He’s always had a knack for infiltrating my thoughts, delving into the depths of my mind.
Theo’s question catches my attention, causing my ears to perk up.
“So, what’s your son’s name?” he asks.
Poppy shoots me a quick look before turning her attention back to Theo. “His name is Alex.”
“Cool name,” Nate chimes in.
“Cool kid,” Poppy adds with a smile, and I can see the love in her eyes as she talks about her son. It brings back memories of my mom”s love for me. This kid is so lucky to have her in their life.
“So you all went to school together?” Nate asks.
“Yeah, we did,” Poppy answers, glancing at Ace and then over at me.
Under her scrutinizing gaze, I feel a lump in my throat.
Theo shifts his attention to me. “So, who was that girl at the bar claiming to be your childhood sweetheart?”
I shoot him a death glare. The fucker already knows who she is because he asked if I wanted to join him and Nate fuck her in the men’s restroom. I’m tempted to punch that smug look right off his face, but Ace’s words snap me back to reality.
“That was Jade,” Ace bursts into laughter. “No way. Did she actually say that, for real?” Ace laughs so hard that it makes him slump over in a fit of laughter. Finally, when he regains control of his laughter, he adds. “Xander and her were never a thing growing up. She was super easy. She was everyone”s hookup.”
”From what I remember,” says Poppy, slurring her words. “She was a total bitch. She was hell-bent on making my life miserable for years.”
“Yeah, but I remember how you always shut her down with your quick comebacks,” I add.
Her piercing blue eyes lock onto mine, and a surge of awareness sends my heart racing in my chest.
“Yeah,” Ace chuckles. “I remember that. Some days, putting her in her place was the highlight of my day.”
“Well, the bitch deserved it,” Poppy shrugs.
We keep talking for another hour, getting even more wasted.
With only six more hours left, Theo and Nate go back to the girl they”ve tied up in their bed. Ace, however, grabs his guitar and goes to his room to get some much-needed sleep. Now it”s just me and Poppy. Every time we lock eyes, it”s like a rollercoaster of emotions and my heart aches when I think about my actions.
“I get that me being here is awkward,” she says.
“It’s not awkward.”
She chuckles softly. “I can tell this is making you uncomfortable... Anyway,” she trails off, cutting herself off mid-sentence, and then gets up. “I really should get some rest.”
She turns and heads towards the door, and before I realize it, I’m following. As she reaches the door, I wrap my arms around her waist, causing her to let out a startled gasp, when I pull her back against my chest. The overwhelming feeling of being able to touch her again sends my mind into a whirlwind. I nuzzle my nose against her neck and get lost in the way she smells - a mix of innocence and temptation. I yearn to explore every inch of her, to possess, to consume her, succumbing to the desire to corrupt every inch of her completely.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“You wanted to know if it felt awkward. The only awkward thing, Princess, is this,” I say, pressing my lips to her neck as I grind my hard cock against her ass. “Feel that? The only awkward thing right now is how deep I want to be buried in you.”
Her skin breaks out in goosebumps as she arches her back. And I”m loving how I”m affecting her.
”Yeah, that”s what I thought,” I whisper, feeling the warmth of her skin as my lips brush against the sensitive spot beneath her ear. “I”m dying to fuck you.” I graze my teeth on her shoulder, then slide my hand in under her skirt and run my finger up her thighs. “Remember how much fun we had when you got off on my cock?” I run my finger along her wetness, exploring her slit.
She hisses when I touch her, and I love that I”m getting to her.
”Oh yeah, I remember all the stuff you used to love,” she says, teasingly rubbing her ass against me.
“Fuck!” I hiss, closing my eyes as a flood of memories come racing back. The way she takes charge and teases me with her body has always fascinated me. It’s so fucking hot.
”I remember a lot of things about you, Xander,” she says, her eyes lingering on me as she glances back over her shoulder. “But now, none of that matters. Get it through your fucking head. I will never be one of your groupies.” She forcefully shoves my hand, walks forward, opens the door, and then slams it in my face.
The world is full of women I can pursue, but none will ever come close to evoking even a fraction of the emotions Poppy Reeves stirs within me. Her presence is like a magnetic force that pulls me in. What”s worse is she”s the one person on this planet that I can”t have, and it drives me fucking crazy.